The United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum 2015 was held from 2-3 February 2015 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Even the snowy weather couldn’t stop this wonderful event to be happened. This year’s theme was “Youth Engagement in the Transition from MDGs to SDGs: What will it take?”. The two-day event brought almost 700 young people and representatives from worldwide on a single platform. The forum has been happening since 2012. The objectives of the event were to provide young people a platform to engage in dialogue with the member states from MDGs to SDGs, to mark the 20th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), to focus attention on the importance of gender equality and identify recommendations for the ECOSOC ministerial meeting in July.

On the first day, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador Martin Sajdik warmly welcomed the participants. During his remarks, he emphasized the power of young people with the great examples of Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and Malala Yousafzai. ” With 1.8 billion people, youth and adolescents represent one quarter of the world’s population. Youth constitute the force of change for our societies.”

It was my dream to go to Russia and explore the country, meet the people and promote diversity. I got an opportunity to attend the Esteemed Forum “Preparing Global Leaders Summit” in Moscow Russia in August 2012.

The “Preparing Global Leaders Summit” was a premiere seven day program for the best students and young professionals in the world. Participants will take short courses on democracy, international and human security, social media, technology, journalism, leadership and communication from a distinguished, award-winning faculty. Summit delegates will demonstrate their skills and knowledge through media, speech, parliamentary, and conflict resolution simulations and competitions. The program seeks to prepare aspiring global scholar-leaders with the tools that are necessary for effective leadership in an increasingly complex world.